


We Match

by Glove23



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Blood, Canon Gay Character, Childhood Friends, M/M, Mulan AU, SHEITH - Freeform, Sheith Flower Exchange 2018, War, i guess, lots of, slight gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 16:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15368994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glove23/pseuds/Glove23
Summary: Shiro gets a draft letter, so does Krolia. Keith doesn't.He's not letting Shiro do this alone.Please read the warnings before reading.





	We Match

**Author's Note:**

> Hey yo!! This is for the Sheith flower exchange on tumblr, and is for the lovely Katie, epsilon-art on tumblr, I hope you like it!!!

Keith watched as Shiro walked away, his oldest friend, surrounded by the other men from their town.

He had gotten the letter when Keith was with him, and Keith had watched all the color drain from his face. They hadn't realized, it hadn't even crossed their minds that one of them would be drafted again.

That one of them would have to go to war. After everything Shiro went through the first time...

Keith never got a letter.

His mother did.

He was going to lose the two most important people to him, unless he did something about it.

Keith’s mother, Krolia, had been in the last war their country decided it needed to fight, and she had gotten injured in the line of duty. She never healed properly, and Keith knew if she went again, there was a chance she would never return.

As he watched Shiro leave, Keith knew he had to do something.

He couldn't let his mom march to her death, and he couldn't let Shiro face this alone again.

They’d done everything together for as long as Keith could remember. He wasn't going to let this, (arguably the most important thing) be the one thing Shiro has to do alone.

Keith refused to sit at home and wait to see if he had survived, not when he could be out there doing something.

His mother planned to leave the next day, but Keith had other plans. He snuck into her room that night while she was asleep, and stole her draft letter and her sword.

He had plucked a few daisies from the garden, and left them on her bedside table with a letter.

Mom,

I couldn't let you do this. I couldn't risk the chance of losing you. And I have to help Shiro, the same way he would help if it was me.

I’m sorry. I love you.

Keith.

Keith donned his mother's armor, slung his pack over his shoulder, and walked out the door. His dog was sitting on the other side, watching him and whimpering.

“Hey boy…” Keith knelt down and wrapped his arms around the Yurak’s neck and buried his face in his fur. “You can't come with me,Yurak. I need you to stay here and look after Mom for me. Don't let anything happen to her, okay?”

The dogs intelligent eyes stared at Keith for a moment, before he leaned forward and licked Keith’s face.

Keith laughed and stood up. “I’ll be back soon.” He said, and walked off.

*

Arriving at the base camp and presenting his mother's draft letter to the General took less time than Keith anticipated. The General gestured toward a row of tents she said were unoccupied, and told him to take his pick.

Keith made his way over to the tents and was about to pull open a flap when he heard a commotion behind him. When he looked over his shoulder, Keith saw a tall man with a white tuft of hair at his forehead pull two fighting men off each other.

Shiro.

Keith's eyes widened and as Shiro’s head started to turn in his direction, Keith ducked into the small tent.

Which surprised its occupant greatly.

“Oh shit, jesus, what the-” The man startled, staring up at Keith from the ground. “Jeez, you don't even knock?”

“I’m sorry, I didn't know anyone was….” Keith paused. “How do you knock on a tent? It's fabric.”

“Don't question my logic, you barged into my tent.” The man said, standing up. He was large, tall and round, but he looked very strong. “Since you're here, I’m Hunk. I’m the cook, so if you have any food requests, don't tell me. We don't have anything worthwhile.”

“Why mention it then?”

“There you go again, questioning my logic. Now, if you’ll kindly leave, I have work to do.” Hunk started to peel back the flap, but Keith reached out to stop him.

“Wait. Can you...check and see if a guy with black and white hair is still standing out there?” Keith brought his hand back and nervously clutched them together.

“Are you talking about Shiro? Listen, there's no need to be afraid of him, he's basically just an extremely moral teddy bear.” Hunk laughed.

“No, I know, we’re friends but...he doesn't know I’m here and I’m not ready for the lecture.”

Hunk looked curious, but didn’t press it, he just stuck his head through the flap and looked around. “Coast is clear, no muscled teddy bears around.”

Keith waited a moment longer, and when he exited, Hunk was gone. So Keith went to the next tent over and called through the fabric, “Uh, hi, is anyone in there?”

The voice that answered made Keith’s heart stop dead.

“Occupied.” Shiro answered, sounding drained. Keith resisted the urge to burst in to see what was wrong.

“O-okay, sorry.” He stuttered for a moment, and was about to sprint away, when the tent flap was pulled open.

Shiro and Keith stared at each other for a moment, eyes wide.

Shiro recovered faster, and his face grew weary. “You’re supposed to be at home.”

Keith straighten at his words, and looked Shiro in the eye.

“So are you.”

*

“Keith, you can’t be serious.”

A month had passed, and their training had only increased in difficulty. Keith was sweating profusely already, but had just volunteered to take on the General in single combat.

“Shiro, when have you ever known me to back down from a challenge?”

Shiro sighed in resignation. “I guess I’ll patch you up when you’re done.”

Keith looked up at the other man, and smiled affectionately, laying his hand on Shiro’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I’ll be fine.”

“You haven’t seen her fight yet.”

Keith shook his head at Shiro, and stepped into the ring, drawing his sword.

His opponent, General Allura, smiled at him from the other side of the ring, blade in hand.

Someone called out for them to start, and the General didn't waste any time. She moved so fast, she was nearly a blur, and Keith only just brought his sword up in time to block hers.

“You’ll have to be quicker than that.” She said, grinning.

Their swords rang as they slammed into each other again and again, both looking for an opening to get under the other defenses.

The General found one first.

Her blade sliced cleanly through his tunic and scraped the flesh on his side, drawing blood. General Allura pulled back, an unsure look on her face as Keith clutched at his side.

“Do you yield?” She asked.

Keith took and breath, and raised his sword. He looked at Allura and said, “Never.”

Later, when he thinks of this moment, he’ll remember hearing Shiro groan from the sidelines.

He gripped his sword tighter and lunged, his torso stretching painfully. Allura sidestepped his thrust, and pressed her sword against the flat of his blade, throwing her weight forward and twisting.

Keith’s sword clattered out of his hand, and Allura leveled hers at his throat.

“Yield.”

Keith was about to refuse again, but Allura had already taken her sword from his throat and sheathed it.

“You’re good, but you need to work on actually dodging attacks, rather than trying to meet them all head on.” Allura rested her hand on his shoulder, stopping right before walking away. “Not everything is All or Nothing all the time, Kogane. Sometimes you have to pace yourself.”

Keith didn’t turn to watch as she stepped out of the ring, and still didn’t turn when he heard horse hooves pounding their way into camp.

He reached Shiro’s side, and the other man supported him towards the medical tent as the rider skidded to a stop in front of the General.

“General, thank the gods, there has been an incident in one of the towns that we think one of your soldiers is connected to.” The messenger slid off his horse, his feet crunching into the snow. He scrambled for his bag, and pulled out a small scroll, handing it over to the General.

As Allura’s eyes scanned the parchment, her body stiffened. Shiro and Keith were almost in the tent when she called out, “Kogane.”

Keith turned and she held out the scroll.

“It’s for you.”

Keith’s heart seized in his chest as he gently took the scroll from her.

It read;

General Allura,

There has been a Galra attack on a small village, and we believe it is the village of one of your soldiers, Krolia Kogane. A body was found in what we were told is the Kogane household, but it was unidentifiable. Please let your soldier know.

Officially,

Leutentiet Coran.

If Shiro hadn’t been holding him still, Keith would’ve collapsed into the snow.

His mother...gone.

He hadn’t even said goodbye.

Keith’s eyes were trained on the ground so he saw the white boots crunch through the snow to stand in front of him.

He lifted his eyes to the General’s face, her expression inscrutable.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Kogane. That being said, I need to see you in the command tent, immediately.

*

Shiro helped Keith make his way to the command tent, but was stopped from entering with him.

After glancing at the guards, Shiro made eye contact with Keith. “I’ll just...wait out here for you.”

Keith took a deep breath and pushed open the tent flap, entering the command tent.

Allura was standing behind a small table littered with small figurines, surveying them critically when he walked in. Without looking at him she said, “You are Keith Kogane, are you not?”

Keith’s back tensed and his side spasmed, as he took a deep breath.

“Yes.”

“You have never been Krolia Kogane?”

“Krolia is...was my mother.” Keith bit back a wince, reminded that his mother was gone, the only family he had left.

“So you lied.” Allura said, finally looking up from her battle plan. “You lied to a military official about who you are, and your credentials were stolen. And you thought? What? That no one would ever find out?” She sounded truly exasperated, like she was dealing with an unruly toddler.

Keith gritted his teeth and managed to control his temper. “General, I only wanted to spare my mother from having to fight again.”

“While your intentions to your mother were honorable, your conduct with this military was not. You are discharged, Kogane.”

“General-”

“We are leaving in the morning for the front lines. You will not be joining us.” Allura turned back to her battle plan and said, “You are dismissed.”

“General Allura, please-”

“I said you are dismissed, Kogane. I suggest you listen.” Her voice was hard, but when she looked back up at him, her eyes were apologetic.

Keith bowed his head and turn and left the tent.

Shiro was still there, waiting for him. “Keith,” he said, “what happened, what did the General want?”

Keith kept his eyes on the ground, not wanting to see the ‘I-told-you-so’ look on Shiro’s face.

“I have been dishonorably discharged for lying about who I am.” Keith’s hand went to his side, where he was still bleeding freely. He looked at his hand so he wouldn’t have to look at Shiro.

“Keith…” Shiro’s voice was soft, and his hands reached out to take Keith’s. “I’ll go with you.”

Keith looked up sharply. “And be tried for desertion? I don’t think so, Shiro.”

“I thought the whole point of you being here is so we wouldn’t have to be apart. And now you’re saying you don’t want me with you?” Shiro’s face was pained, and Keith couldn’t stand it. He pushed past the taller man and made his way back to his tent, to pack his things and make his way back to a home that no longer exists.

*

When the next day arrived, Keith was awoken by war horns.

Metal clanged in the distance, and Keith could hear Command shouting orders at the troops.

Someone grunted outside his tent, and then a body fell in with a sword sticking out of their gut. A hand reached in and yanked the sword out, and the person didn't move.

Keith leapt from his bed, his stitches pulling, and grabbed his sword. When he burst from his tent, Galra soldiers were everywhere. One came at him and Keith dispatched him quickly, his eyes immediately moving and looking for the telltale white tuft of hair.

There.

Shiro was surrounded by four soldiers, and Keith could see himself preparing to take all of them on.

Whether he’d win or not was still in the air.

Keith started running, scooping a Galra sword off the ground as he went by. He made it to Shiro right as he swung his sword.

Together they defeated the four Galra, and turned to each other.

“Are you alright?” They both asked, breathlessly.

Shiro gripped Keith’s shoulder and asked, “How's your side?”

“It's fine, how- SHIRO LOOK OUT!”

Keith ducked under Shiro’s arm, and raised his sword. He pushed against the soldier’s sword, but he couldn't keep it up and their swords slipped, the Galran’s slicing open the side of Keith’s face.

He cried out, and kicked the soldier back.

As the other man stumbled back, Keith heard Shiro cry out behind him. He whirled around just in time to see a soldier slice his sword across Shiro’s abdomen and Shiro stumble and fall to his knees.

“No!”

Keith surged forward, his sword clanging into the Galra’s before it could make contact with Shiro’s neck. Keith planted his foot in the soldiers stomach and pushed, swinging his sword across their chest, cutting deep.

As the soldier fell back, Keith dropped to the ground beside Shiro.

“Shiro…Shiro answer me, can you move?”

Keith’s hands fluttered frantically around Shiro’s stomach, unsure of what to do. Shiro coughed, a blood coated his lips. His movements were sluggish

He started to fall forward, but Keith’s hands caught his shoulders. He brought him over to lean against his chest.

“Shiro, come on, stay with me.” Keith’s voice was quickly getting more desperate and his breathing panicked. “You can't leave me again, Shiro, you can't.”

Shiro’s head lolled slightly to the side, and he looked up at Keith, eyes half lidded.

“Keith…..”

His breathing was shallow and rasping, and Keith’s eyes filled with tears.

“Shiro...please, Shir-”

Keith cut off, choking, his stomach exploding with pain and warmth. He looked down.

The tip of a Galran sword protruded from his abdomen, and as he watched it retracted and a boot pressed against his back and pushed him and Shiro forward.

They hit the ground with a muted thud, and Keith’s breath left his body. He watched as Shiro’s head rolled to the side, facing him, but his eyes vacant.

Keith reached a hand out and cradled the back of Shiro’s head, pulling him close and pressing his lips to his forehead.

The last thing he felt was Shiro’s hands on his face, and then everything was gone.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment and tell me what you think about the sdcc spoilers if you've seen them! (Also season 7 is three weeks away!!!)


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